No Matter
by Sarah the nerd
Summary: A detective, a doctor, a would-be doctor and a Doctor walk into a bar.
1. Entrance

This is set post-Hiatus for Holmes and Watson, and post-Human Nature for the Doctor and Martha.

* * *

**No Matter**

A detective, a doctor, a would-be doctor and a Doctor walk into a bar.

"You know, I've seen and done some incredibly strange things," the Doctor said, "but this really takes the cake."

The doctor, whose name was Watson, nodded absently. The would-be doctor, whose name was Martha Jones, glanced around the filthy pub with a look of weariness in her eyes.

"I don't like this, Doctor," she said to the Doctor.

"No, I'm not liking it much either," the Doctor said. "And you two gentlemen look positively queasy."

This was directed at Watson and his companion. Both of them were looking warily at the Doctor and the young woman by his side.

"Indeed, Doctor," Sherlock Holmes said. "Forgive us, but the average person would assume this was merely a very complicated practical joke."

"It's a good thing you're not the average person then," the Doctor said.

"Well, yes."

Martha Jones went to a vacant table and sat down. Glances were thrown her way and she glared back. One by one, the men joined her.

"Um," she said to Holmes and Watson, "five minutes ago I was pretty sure you didn't actually exist."

"Well, you never used to believe in aliens either," the Doctor said brightly.

"Yes I did," Martha said. "The spaceship in 2006, remember? And the ghosts, the Daleks, the Cybermen...you keep forgetting how long this stuff's been going on."

"Then you should be used to strange stuff!" the Doctor said, pretty much dismissing her, or so it seemed to Martha. The two other men at the table just stared.

"Perhaps you could introduce yourselves," Watson said. "You are Doctor..._who_, exactly?"

"Just the Doctor," the Doctor said.

"You keep your name a secret?"

"Yes, I do."

Watson considered this and then turned to Martha. "And you, my dear?"

"Martha Jones. He never told me his real name either."

"You are the Doctor's..." The question hung in the air.

"Companion." Martha said. "Friend."

"And tell me, how did you accomplish the trick with the blue box?"

"It wasn't a trick." Martha said.

Watson turned to his friend. "Holmes, you have been uncharacteristically silent thus far."

Sherlock Holmes put down the pipe he had been smoking. "It pains me to say it," he said thoughtfully.

"What?" Watson asked anxiously.

"This man we see before us, this _Doctor_, he is not of Earth. He is, in fact, not human."

"That seems...a little much."

"Yes, detective," the Doctor said, "tell us how you reached that conclusion."

"The blue box was no trick. I examined it thoroughly while you were shaking Watson's hand and jumping up and down. I glanced inside, and what I saw through the black smoke...I have been trying for the past half-hour to explain what it was. But I can't. It's not of this world. And you are its pilot, so neither are you."

"Right," the Doctor said. "And Martha?"

"Martha is an Englishwoman from a future England, a future London, in fact. And there are freedoms there that we know nothing of. In this far-off land a woman may wear what she wishes, with little concern for modesty, and may speak proudly of her heritage and not hide it, for all races of man now live in peace."

"You're right, mostly," said Martha.

"I deduced this first by looking at that curious jacket of yours, which-"

"Oi, my turn to talk," the Doctor said loudly. "Right, we all know who everyone is. What I _don't _know, and what I don't like not knowing, is why the TARDIS brought us here. And why it's broken down. And..." He took a deep breath. "And why I've always thought you were fictional."

There was a pause at this.

"My dear sir," Watson finally said, "I've been publishing accounts of our adventures for years, if that's what you mean."

"No," the Doctor said. "I mean, you're actually characters from a book, where Martha comes from. Where I come from. I believe there's a movie coming out, in fact, starring Robert Downey Jr."

"Who?"

"Ooh, I didn't know that." Martha said. "I like him."

"Enlighten us, Doctor...what's a 'movie'?"

By now many in the pub were listening to this curious conversation, and the Doctor and Holmes both rose to their feet.

"We need to go somewhere more private," the Doctor said. "How about showing us the famous Baker Street?"

"I was just about to suggest the same thing," Holmes said.

* * *

On the way to Baker Street Watson stopped at a small store and returned a few minutes later carrying a package. No-one paid too much attention, as they were still discussing the big questions.

"What you are basically saying is that you being here is akin to, for example, myself being in one of those masterful tales created by Shakespeare. On the island with Prospero, or a witness to the crimes of Iago."

"Pretty much," the Doctor said.

"You are telling me that my world is not _real_." Holmes said. Martha thought he was dealing with it rather well considering.

"There're many worlds out there, and all of them are as real as the others," the Doctor said. His voice cracked just a tiny bit when he said that.

They reached Baker Street within minutes, and Holmes went in first, looked around, and then gestured for the others to follow.

"Our landlady is not in," he announced as they went upstairs. "It is as well, because you, Miss Jones, have been drawing a great deal of attention on the street."

"I'd noticed."

Watson stepped forward. "I took the liberty of selecting a dress for you, Miss Jones." He placed the parcel in her hands. "I know it will not be what you are used to, but it is a fine dress, I assure you."

Martha had already gathered she would have to say goodbye to her jeans and jacket. "I'll go and get changed then," she said. She picked up the parcel, turned to go, and hestitated. "You don't have to call me Miss Jones. Martha's fine."

"Then Martha is what we'll call you." Watson said.

Martha went upstairs. She was careful not to touch anything, but she couldn't help but look. After she had changed into the dress she turned to the table and examined the test tubes. She wondered what was in them, and was about to reach out and take one when the door opened and the Doctor came in.

She stood up.

"Nice, isn't it?" she said. "The dress."

The Doctor ignored this. "We're in a parallel universe."

"Right."

"That's why the TARDIS broke down."

"Right."

"It's happened only once before, when I went to a different place and many...bad things happened there."

"Right," said Martha, wondering where this was going.

"It's not too much of a stretch to imagine that in this world there's characters we think are fictional. I mean, imagine an _idea_...it floats from one world to the next, ends up a story in one world and fact in the other. Who's to say we're not fiction, somewhere?"

"Doctor, that's a little too...much...for me." Martha said. Her emotions were at war in her mind.

"No, just think! Somewhere in our world an author, Doyle in this case, gets an idea. And here is where the idea came from. Where all those things really happened. Isn't that just...wonderful?"

"Yes." Martha said. But now there was an idea in her head- the idea of not even being _real_. It chilled her.

"You'll be able to get the TARDIS back, right?"

The Doctor ignored the question. "You do look nice." he said.

"Doctor, please."

"Yes, I can fix it, you'll be home in no time."

"You're sure you can?"

"Of course! What do you look so worried about? We can stay here for a while, it's fun! We've made some new friends, we can sample the food, we can go visit the Queen...I met her once, you know."

"Doctor, I haven't had fun in a while," Martha said.

"What? What do you mean? We've had fun, surely?" His voice cracked just the tiniest bit. "Like that time with the nanogenes. Do you remember that? They ended up in a bucket! A bucket!"

"Well, yeah, okay, there was that. But then right after that," Martha said with a hint of helplessness in her voice, "we went to 1913."

The Doctor paused. For quite a long time. "It turned out alright," he said finally.

"Doctor, we've only just left there. For me it's been less than a day since we were there, yeah? And now we're straight into the same thing."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I'm stared at and stared through and insulted and ignored. And I don't like it."

The Doctor looked at her. Then finally he got it. "Oh! Right. Sorry."

"You're this time traveller who knows everything about everything and you don't know that." Martha said, very nearly accusingly. "I don't want to stay here very long. Those two are nice but I still don't want to. You saw the looks I got."

"Alright," the Doctor said. He got up and went to the door. Then he turned back and said desperately, "That one time with the nanogenes, though, wasn't that fun?"

"See you later, Doctor," Martha said.


	2. Murder Most Mysterious

**No Matter**

"You look most lovely, Martha," Watson said when she returned. He and Holmes were sitting at the table, smoking.

"Thanks." Martha said. She wanted to explain the dangers of smoking to them- the air was thick with the smell- but she decided not to.

"So," the Doctor said. "Nice place you have here."

"We are quite fond of it." Holmes said absently.

"I'm going to explain exactly what I am," the Doctor said, taking a chair. "I'm a Timelord. A lord of time. I move through it and go where I like."

The two men at the table leaned forward.

"That box is called the TARDIS. It's mine. It takes me anywhere, anytime, I could ever want to go. Sometimes I go...sideways in time. I've been to a world different to mine once before. And now, it seems I'm here again."

"This is...science fiction." Watson breathed.

"I have been called that, yeah."

"You have been here before?" Holmes asked.

"Once," the Doctor said, almost whispered. "I had to leave...something here."

Holmes and Watson both looked curious, but the Doctor shook his head. "I'll tell you another time."

"We need to find out how to get home," Martha said, mostly for the Doctor's benefit. "How to fix the TARDIS."

"I...don't think we'll be of much use there." Watson said.

"It's been fixed before," the Doctor said. "I'll have a closer look at it later."

"What did you leave here?" Martha asked.

"I said I'll have a closer look at the TARDIS later," the Doctor said, and he jumped up from his seat and starting looking around the room, lifting things up and putting them down. Having explored the room thoroughly, he sat down again. "So, what's going on with you two? Any interesting cases?"

"None as interesting as what is currently sitting at my table." Holmes said.

"Thank you, detective. So, I'm bored and I want something to do. Any ideas?"

"Fixing the TARDIS," Martha said. "I'm getting a feeling you don't want to leave here, Doctor."

The Doctor said nothing. It was Holmes who spoke.

"I would be very interested in seeing the TARDIS."

"Me too," said Watson.

"Well, okay," the Doctor said. "If you're sure there's nothing going on here that you could use a hand in."

* * *

The four of them walked down the road. Martha looked around with both eagerness and wariness, but the others did not. The Doctor seemed lost in thought.

"Tell us about your world, Martha," Watson said. "If you would. If it is not knowledge too dangerous."

Martha glanced at the Doctor and he gave a nod.

"Well," she began. "You were sort of right about all races living in peace, they do most places most of the time, but there's still wars and things. And we have technology, stuff you two probably can't even imagine, like mobile phones and the Internet. Mobile phones are like...do you have phones?"

"What are they?" Watson asked.

"Okay...um...it's all hard to explain, but basically the whole world, every country, is connected and people from all over the world, like on different sides of the planet, can talk with each other."

"This sounds a wonderous world indeed!"

"Also," Martha said, remembering another detail of life in Victorian Britain, "we don't hang people, not in Britain. We don't execute people, not now."

The two Victorian gentlemen, who had been responsible for sending many men to the gallows, looked at each other.

"It is perhaps a barbarous act, to take another's life," Watson pondered, "but what can be done when a man deserves death?"

Holmes appeared to be musing on something else. "'Phone', short for 'telephone'?"

"Ooh, what's this?" the Doctor said.

Someone, a man, was running towards them.

"Sir!" he was shouting. "Murder! There's been a murder!"

"Ah," the Doctor said. "_Here's _something."

The man skidded to a stop before them.

"Mr Holmes," he said, "Thank God! You are the very person I need."

"Who has been murdered?" Holmes asked in a businesslike tone.

"Why, it is my mother-in-law, sir. There's no marks on her, but she is dead all right and my wife is screaming down the house."

"No marks?" the Doctor said. "So maybe it's poison? Could be snake venom."

Holmes gave him a look that, somehow, stopped him from talking.

"Now, my dear sir..." he said to the man.

"Mr Henley."

"Mr Henley, I'm afraid I first require an explanation to how this is murder."

"She were old, sir, but she was in fine health. There's no explanation for it. I've had a doctor-"

"Oh, you have?" Holmes interupted. "Well, I have my own doctor here, and if he will be so kind _he _shall see the body."

Watson gave a nod, and the two of them followed the man down the street. The Doctor and Martha wandered after them.

"You know," the Doctor said loudly, "I'm a doctor too."


	3. The Plot Thickens

**No Matter**

Watson and the Doctor examined the corpse.

"You know, Mr Henley is right," the Doctor said, standing up. "Nothing caused it. She's in fine health, but she happens to be dead. It's very odd." He took his sonic screwdriver from his pocket.

"Don't get that out here!" Martha said.

"As the actress said to the bishop," the Doctor answered vaguely. He moved the little blue light along the unmoving body on the floor.

"None of them have ever seen anything like that before," Martha said. And indeed the other people in the room were staring.

"Mr Henley," Holmes said, "perhaps you ought to go downstairs and tend to your wife." Mr Henley opened his mouth, closed it, and left.

"What is it, Doctor?" Watson asked, staring as if hypnotised at the blue light.

"It's only a sonic screwdriver."

"It sort of does anything," Martha explained.

"In this case, it's given me a pretty accurate diagnosis." the Doctor said. "Nothing happened to cause this woman's death. She just died. That really oughtn't to happen."

"So what do we do?" Martha asked.

The Doctor turned the sonic screwdriver off and stood up. "Well," he said to Holmes, "this is really your department. However...I'm pretty sure you'll need me for this one. People don't just drop dead. Whatever went on here is probably alien."

"Like you," Watson said. "Doctor, did you make this happen?"

"No," the Doctor said. "Granted, things do tend to happen while I'm around. Bad things, sometimes. Death quite a lot of the time. But I didn't do that!" He looked very thoughtful and very sad for a moment or two, and then suddenly hurled himself out of the door. "Going downstairs!" he yelled. "Might interview that bloke."

The other three stared after him.

"He's lost someone, hasn't he?" Watson finally said. "Quite recently." Holmes gave him a look but said nothing.

"Rose," Martha said. Then she remembered. "Oh wait, no, it was Joan."

The two men waited for her to continue, and although Martha didn't really want to she said, "He was in love with her. They loved each other. But they couldn't be together. And I think she said...hard things...to him."

"This is interesting but utterly irrelevant, Martha," Holmes said. He was examining the corpse now too, frustration in his eyes. "You are talking about the human within him. Tell us about the _alien_."

"Martha," Watson said gently, "I know so very little of him, but perhaps by some accident he did this. How else could this be explained?"

"Maybe that lady died from natural causes," Martha said desperately. "Maybe you missed something."

"That is very rare," Holmes said.

"Listen, we go all over the place," Martha said. "There's always death. He never causes it. He's just _there_."

With a sigh Holmes stood up. "There's nothing else we can do here," he said. "We shall advise Mr Henley that that woman died naturally. Then we shall go with the Doctor and see what wonders he has to show."

The three of them went downstairs to be greeted with Mr Henley's angry face.

"The man who accompanied you- he is deluded! He is insane! He spoke of 'gelth' and 'darr-lecks'..."

"He is a lunatic," Holmes said calmly, "but no matter, he shan't bother you again."

The man paused, torn between anger and curiousity, and finally said, "Sir, can you solve this? Can you give us any help?"

"Give me every detail and every fact, man, and I shall see what I can do."

Mr Henley considered this. "Nothing."

"Come, man. People don't just die." For the first time since Martha had met him, Holmes looked uncertain. She ducked quietly from the room and went outside.

"Mr Henley," Watson said, "please think carefully."

Mr Henley thought for a few moments, and then said, "Well, there was only one thing out of the ordinary."

"What was it?"

"Well, sirs, I was upstairs and I happened to glance out of the upstairs window, the one that looks out on the street. I saw a small girl, holding a red balloon."

"And?"

"She looked up at the window, sir. She smiled, and it was a wicked smile. Then she waved and ran away. Until now, I had put it out of my mind."

Holmes and Watson fell silent for a moment, but then Watson persisted, "It was just an ordinary girl?"

"Just an ordinary girl."

"We will be in touch, Mr Henley," Holmes said.

They hurried outside. The Doctor, Martha, and three others were waiting for them. The others were policemen, and one of them was clutching the Doctor's arm. Martha stood to the side, frustration on her face.

"These armed, angry men are friends of yours," the Doctor said as Holmes approached.

"Inspector Lestrade," Holmes said with a nod to the lead policeman.

"Mr Holmes," Lestrade said. "You know this...man?"

A look passed between the Doctor and Holmes, and then Holmes said, "This man is the Doctor. He is an agent of the British Government. He has his...eccentricities, but he has infinitely more knowledge than even I."

"Oh," Lestrade said, as he let go of the Doctor's arm. "I'll need to see your papers, please, sir."

The Doctor took the psychic paper from his pocket and handed it over. Lestrade looked at them and gave them back. "Forgive me, sir. Things must be checked. I trust you understand."

"Not a problem," the Doctor said brightly.

"I have just come from Howe Street, Mr Holmes," Lestrade said, disbanding the other policemen with a nod and a gesture, "and so it happens, I was coming to consult you."

"What has happened?"

"It seems to me to be a very subtle and cunning murder. Two women, sisters, dead. It happened just a few hours ago, according to their serving-maid. One moment they were alive and well, and the next..."

"Don't tell me," the Doctor said, before anybody else could speak. "No explanation. No marks, no poison, nothing?"

"Yes," Lestrade said, looking at the Doctor somewhat warily.

"Take us to the house, please, Inspector," Holmes said.


	4. To The TARDIS

The five of them entered the room and saw the two bodies laid out on the floor. Martha found herself pushing past the others and kneeling before the bodies first.

"It's exactly the same as before, Doctor," she said.

The others moved forward to see for themselves, but Lestrade hung back. "Who is the negress, Holmes?" he asked.

Martha jumped to her feet, eyes flashing with anger. The Doctor put his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm a doctor. As soon as I pass my exams I will be. I've done loads of medical training, I'm far more qualified than you! Alright? Is that good enough for you, mate?"

Lestrade backed away with a look of bewilderment, and an anger that quickly cooled. "She is also an agent of Britain?" he asked the Doctor.

"This is Martha Jones, Inspector," Holmes said cooly. "You will treat her with the same respect you treat me."

"Yes, she's a British agent," the Doctor said. "Shall I provide her papers, too?"

"No, that's quite all right."

They returned to their work, but the examinations- of both the bodies and the room- didn't take long. The Doctor finally stood up and announced to everyone in general, "I don't think we can do much else, everybody. Might as well leave these poor people be for now."

Holmes was still examining the walls, a look of intense concentration on his face. Martha wondered if he minded the Doctor upstaging him.

"The door was locked," he said. "So was the window. There is no fireplace. There was simply no way anyone could have entered. Therefore, he must have been in the room with them. And either he got past when Lestrade and the police opened the door, or he's still here."

"My men were guarding the door-" Lestrade began.

"Silence, man! Give me data. Who owns the house? What are the names of these women?"

"Aliens did this." the Doctor said.

The room was silent for a couple of seconds. "You're sure of this?" Holmes finally said. "You don't know all the facts. None of us do. And I have handled stranger cases than-"

"Aliens did it." the Doctor said.

Lestrade looked around in bafflement.

"Right," the Doctor said. "Time to go, I think. Detective, Doctor, Martha- come with me." He headed out of the door, then popped his head back in and added, "Oh, by the way, Inspector, there's nothing to worry about. Absolutely nothing. We can handle this."

* * *

"Where are we going, Doctor?" Martha asked.

"Back to the TARDIS," the Doctor said. "There's a device in there, somewhere, which can help me detect alien activity..."

"And we can fix it while we're there, right?" Martha said. "Fix the TARDIS?"

"Yes," the Doctor said, "we can do that."

Holmes and Watson were walking behind the other two and discussing things among themselves.

"This girl with the red balloon, Holmes. I can't help but feel there is something in that..."

"I will mention it to the Doctor when he pauses for breath, if indeed he ever does."

There was silence between them for a minute.

"My friend," Holmes said at last, "you realise that this shakes the foundation of everything we've ever thought."

"I did realise, yes."

"I shall never turn down an opportunity to learn more about the world, you know that. But this man simply walked into our lives and-"

"He does that," Martha interrupted, sliding out of pace with the Doctor and walking next to them. "You must be feeling pretty weirded out...I mean, pretty...frightened, right?"

"Miss Jones, I have faced my own death on more than one occasion. I have dealt with all manner of horrors. I have found the answers to questions which-"

"You're frightened." Watson said.

"Yes, I am."

Martha continued to walk alongside them. "You're a lot like him, you know," she said to Holmes. "A lot like the Doctor. You're both...I dunno. Something."

"Most eloquent, Miss Jones. Martha."

They walked on.

* * *

The TARDIS was exactly as they left it.

"Everyone in," the Doctor said cheerfully. He darted through the blue door first and left the others to follow.

"This might be a bit...it's bigger on the inside," Martha explained before going in herself. Holmes and Watson looked at each other.

"Into the unknown, my friend!" Holmes said, and with a barely supressed grin went through the door. Watson followed right behind him, and together they stood and looked around the vast interior. Martha smiled at the amazement on their faces, and then she turned towards the Doctor.

"What are we going to do?"

The Doctor was rummaging about in the debris around the console room. The lights were still off and he was using the sonic screwdriver as a torch. "Got it," he said. He placed a strange machine by Martha's feet. "The Timey-Wimey detector. I'm thinking of changing the name. Right, let me just get the TARDIS fixed, just in case we need it, and then we can be off."

"To solve the murders, I presume," Watson said.

"If murders is what they are."

Holmes was examining the console. "And once we solve them, what then?" he asked, not looking up. "You realise, do you not, what you are doing? Three deaths. They need to be explained. _I _cannot explain them, I am unwilling to lie, and I doubt Scotland Yard will accept 'aliens' as the guilty party."

"You're probably the smartest man in London," the Doctor said idly. "You'll think of something." He was pulling up the floor panels, and Martha instinctively went to help him. He gave no acknowledgement to her whatsoever, just jumped into the hole he'd made and returned holding a glowing green jewel.

"What's that?" Martha asked.

"This is what I did when the TARDIS crashed last time," the Doctor said. "These tiny little cells around the TARDIS, they cling to life, and I can use them. Watch." He blew on it. "See? By way of an _unfathomably _clever process, that was ten years of my life I just gave to the TARDIS. And the old girl's working perfectly now."

"You are bonded with this machine," Holmes said.

"Yeah."

"That's quite..." He looked at Martha. "Weirding, I believe was the word?"

"Weird." Martha said. "Ten years of your life? Does that mean, Doctor..."

"I'm not going anywhere soon," the Doctor reassured her. "Trust me, I won't notice ten years here or there."

Martha looked uncertain, but the Doctor simply placed the cell back where it had been and watched as the lights came back on.

"Explain this unfathomably clever process, Doctor," Holmes said.

"Well, the TARDIS needs energy from our world to work," the Doctor said cheerfully. "So I gave it that energy. Brought it back to life. All the teeny little nanogenes in this cell, they do what they're programmed to do and listen to me...and that's it really."

"Energy," Holmes said thoughtfully. "It sounds a lot like you're using that as another word for 'magic'."

"Nah!" the Doctor said. And then, suddenly, about to speak, he stopped.

"Nanogenes," he whispered. "_Nanogenes_."


	5. The Doctor Kicks The Bucket

**No Matter**

The others looked on with blank expressions.

"Doctor," Martha said nervously, "what-"

"Nanogenes!" he shouted. "It's them, they're doing it! They've _killed _people!"

"Um-"

"The nanogenes were in _this bucket_!" he shouted, and picked it up. "Now, they're not! When we crashed they must've got out somehow and now we've killed three people!"

"Nanogenes can't do that," Martha said, although she had little knowledge of the subject. "You programmed them to stay in that bucket..."

"Well, it didn't work!" the Doctor shouted, and to Martha's surprise, because she'd never seen him so angry before, he kicked the bucket across the room. It clattered against the wall and lay there.

"You have solved our mystery, Doctor?" Holmes asked, quite hesitantly.

"Yes, I have," the Doctor said, and suddenly his anger was gone and he sank onto his seat by the console. "It's my fault. Me, being careless. Me, being stupid. Me, _killing three people_."

Silence.

Martha walked to the bucket and picked it up. "But nanogenes only do what they're _programmed _to do. That's what you told me. They can't just leave."

"Well," the Doctor said gloomily, "this is out of the ordinary, landing in a different universe. Maybe that's what did it."

Holmes got up from where he had been sitting and poked the bucket with his walking stick. "Magic," he said thoughtfully. "These tiny particles. These nanogenes. You said they listen to you?"

"They did. Clearly, some didn't."

"Can you get them to reverse what they did? Because I suspect nothing is beyond you."

The Doctor looked, for one second, sadder than Martha had ever seen him. "Some things are."

"So you cannot?"

"Nanogenes, they...they're clever. They give you what you want if you ask them right. They brought a little boy back to life once. But I don't think they can save those three women. They've been dead for too long, for starts. And I don't think this world works the same, the nanogenes won't know how if we asked them. It's a _lot _easier to kill than to bring back."

There was a pause while everyone considered things, and Martha took the opportunity to say, "Doctor, are you alright?"

"Yes," the Doctor said.

"So," Watson suddenly spoke up, "where are the escaped nanogenes now?"

The Doctor stood up. "We'll find them," he said. He picked up the Timey-Wimey Detector and put it in his pocket. "Martha, bring me that bucket."

Martha picked up the bucket, the Doctor took it from her, and without looking at any of them he ran out of the door. Holmes followed, and Watson and Martha were left alone.

"He shouldn't be rude to a lady," Watson said.

"What?"

"He didn't thank you when you handed him the bucket. It is bad form."

"Oh. I don't really notice."

"Don't think my friend is the only one here with powers of observation," Watson said, holding the TARDIS door open for her. "You're in love with the Doctor."

"Yeah," Martha said. "Afraid so."

They ran.

* * *

"Hurry up, you two!" the Doctor shouted as they caught up to him. He'd taken the Detector out and was pointing it at random. He was gaining some very funny looks.

"Doctor," Watson said, "I can't run like you can. I took a bullet in the leg back in the-"

"Right, well, you stay behind!" the Doctor yelled. The Detector beeped. "This way! Everyone who can run, run!" He took off like a rocket into a side street, nearly knocking over several people on the way. Holmes ran after him, also nearly knocking over several people on the way. The Doctor was a faster runner, but Holmes eventually caught up to him.

"Doctor!" he called, "I will not have you dismiss my friend so easily."

The Doctor stopped just for a second. "What happened to Martha?"

"I imagine she stayed behind with Watson."

"Well, we can't wait around because one of us can't run, we have to act _very quickly _before those things kill anybody else!" He started to run again. Holmes followed him.

"They're confused, the nanogenes," the Doctor explained between breaths. "The sudden change in universe has warped their programming. They're trying to kill everyone they come across, but they've only suceeded in killing three. That we know of."

"_Why _are they trying to kill?"

"Well, me and Martha picked up those things while on a particularly...interesting planet. I deactivated them all. But something must not have worked, something went wrong..." He trailed off.

"And do you often fail in this way?"

"No," the Doctor said. "I don't."

"Perhaps a third party was involved?"

"We'll think about that later. Let's get them under control first."

* * *

Watson and Martha followed their comrades at a much slower pace.

"How long's your leg been like that?" Martha asked, to make conversation.

"Since the Afghan War, where I was shot."

"Oh yeah. I remember that from the books I read. I forgot a load of stuff, though, I was only about twelve when I read them."

Watson paused, as most people would do when reminded that their universe was, in a different universe, apparently complete fiction. "These books, they're quite well-known?"

"Very."

"And are _we _well known?"

"Yes, you are. Both of you."

They walked on in silence for a moment or two.

"Martha Jones, if I was reading of _your _adventures, instead of the other way round," Watson said, and Martha wasn't prepared for what came next, "I would advise you to leave the Doctor behind, to return to your own time and place, and to be whatever you could be there. Because I see your face every time he speaks, every time he looks at you. He's a grieving man. He's breaking your heart."

"I know," Martha said wearily.

"Why do you stay there, Martha Jones?"

Martha thought about it. The answer was easy, but she wasn't sure how to express it. "He's...awful," she said. "In the old fashioned way. Full of _awe_. He's a Timelord and I'm just a human, and I know deep down that it won't ever work and I just...can't care."

Watson listened intently.

"It's like, you know...there'll always be someone who likes you no matter how awful you are. And for him that person is me."

"I think I understand," said Watson.

* * *

"They're here," the Doctor said. "They're getting closer." The Detector was beeping and flashing red lights. As he pointed it at the sky Watson and Martha came around the corner. "Hello, you two. Nice of you to join us!"

"Doctor," Martha said, "you're tiring yourself out."

"I don't care! The nanogenes are _here_, homing in on us!" He placed the Detector on the floor and took the sonic screwdriver out. "When I say duck I want everyone to duck, right? If I'm very very clever, and I am very very clever, this should turn them off completely." He raised the screwdriver to the sky. "Duck!"

Everyone threw themselves on the floor. The sonic screwdriver shot a beam of light into the air, sparks shot out all around them, but nothing happened after that, although Martha was expecting something astounding. The Doctor slowly lowered the screwdriver, and stared around.

"It worked," he said. "They've turned off. They're dead."

Martha rose to her feet. "All of them?"

"All of them. Fixed it," he said, in a dead voice.

Martha glanced at the ground, and it seemed like little sparks of light were dancing there and fading away. Then, she suddenly realised Holmes and Watson hadn't stood up along with her.

"You didn't fix it, Doctor," Holmes said, and Martha turned around to see him bending over the unconcious body of his friend.


	6. Your Person

**Mo Matter**

For a second the Doctor didn't move, but then he did.

"Get him to the TARDIS. Now."

Martha moved to take Watson's arm, but then he surprised her by sitting up and coughing weakly.

"Holmes. Martha. I'm all right."

"You're not," the Doctor said.

"What do you mean, he's not?" Holmes snapped, "Doctor! What have you done?"

The Doctor turned and walked away, and Holmes, Martha and Watson were forced to follow. Night was beginning to fall now and the streets were less crowded.

"Answer my question, Doctor!" Holmes shouted. But he kept walking and walking. Martha had never seen him act quite like this before. She suspected she was really seeing the human he had recently been.

"Doctor!" she shouted. "Doctor! Come back here and tell us what happened, you...coward!"

The Doctor stopped. The TARDIS lights shone in the background but he didn't look much like the Doctor, not really. "I didn't get all the nanogenes. Some of them jumped into the nearest person. I wasn't careful enough, I'm never careful enough. You're going to die, John Watson, very soon, and there's nothing I can do about it."

Martha stopped dead. Holmes kept going.

"You are wrong, Doctor, wrong or lying."

"He's not," Martha said. "He's not."

"Get him to the TARDIS," the Doctor said. "No-one ought to die on the street." He turned from them and walked away and disappeared into his time machine. The humans were left out under the darkening sky, looking at each other. Apart from Holmes, who was looking at the floor.

"I think I would like to go home," Watson said.

"You're not going to die, Watson," Holmes said, in a tone that Martha thought was bordering on inhuman.

"That may be true, but I would like to go back to Baker Street, and my own bed," Watson said calmly. "Please, Holmes, look at me."

There was a long silence and then Holmes started walking towards the TARDIS, just as the Doctor had done. It seemed to take an eternity.

"Holmes," Watson called.

Without even looking back, Holmes closed the TARDIS door on them.

And then there were two.

"The Doctor will find a way," said Martha, uncertainly.

"Let's go, my dear." Watson said.

* * *

Inside the TARDIS no-one spoke until the Doctor said, "Right. We're here."

Watson walked out of the door, Holmes followed him, and Martha said. "Doctor. Please. We have to do something."

"I can't do anything," the Doctor said. "You've seen all this happen before, Martha Jones, quite recently in fact. I show up. I get to like people. I destroy them."

"That's not true," Martha said, "and you know it's not."

"There's a good, very not fictional man out there about to die because of me," the Doctor said. After a very long pause, during which he fiddled with the TARDIS controls, he said, "We ought to go to him."

"Yes," said Martha, "we really should."

* * *

It was cold inside 221b Baker Street. Martha climbed the stairs and the Doctor followed her.

"How, exactly, are the nanogenes killing him?" she whispered as they stopped outside a closed door.

"Same way they killed the others," the Doctor said. "They just get inside a body and kill it. Close down the organs. Make it bleed. The only difference now is that it's taking a longer time. Are you sure you want to go in there, Martha?"

"Yes," Martha said, and opened the door.

Watson lay on the bed, and Holmes was sitting on the chair next to him. They had both clearly been waiting for the others, both were watching the door.

"So, Doctor," Holmes said in the coldest voice Martha had ever heard, "tell me how my friend is going to die."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said, "I'm so sorry."

"_Tell me_!"

"The nanogenes are shutting down his body. He's got five minutes," the Doctor said. He turned away, not meeting anyone's eyes. "Come on, Martha."

Martha paused.

"Leave us, Miss Jones," Holmes said.

So she did. She followed the Doctor outside and sat on the stairs.

* * *

Inside the room there was a long silence. Holmes sat on the chair, not moving, just looking at the floor.

"Holmes," Watson said, "you're going to have to say something eventually."

"I'm thinking!" Holmes snapped. "I _think_, it's what I _do. _And had I thought just a little more and just a little better, had I sense enough to not trust or listen to our visitor, whom I now believe to be Death himself, we wouldn't be in this position! Let me _think_!"

Watson just watched his friend, and finally Holmes raised his head and said shakily. "I walked away from you. I did an awful thing. Tell me how you can lie there and still speak to me, when I walked away from a dying friend calling my name."

Watson shook his head. "You know, I asked Martha Jones why she travelled with a man who I'm quite sure was insufferable. I understand her motives for staying are somewhat different from mine, but she told me that no matter how awful a person is, there will always be someone who likes them, and she is the Doctor's person. I am your person, and you _are _a person, only human, and that's why you walked away. You're forgiven. You're always forgiven."

There was a pause.

"John," Holmes said, his voice cracking, "I don't have the words."

"I understand, my friend."

In the background a clock ticked.

"Five minutes, did he say?" Watson asked.

"Yes."

"Five minutes," he repeated. "Holmes, I must ask you, don't blame the Doctor for this. It wasn't his fault."

Holmes nodded slowly.

"Or Martha. Don't blame them. Don't blame yourself."

"I shall try."

Watson leaned forward. "We're fiction. Remember what he said? We're fiction. To someone somewhere we are. Our lives aren't quite our own. Take heart, my friend."

"Fiction," Holmes repeated sadly. "The writer has written it _wrong_."

"Not entirely. Although I would sell my soul this minute for just ten more years, I have had a truly wonderful life, with my dear Mary and...Holmes?"

Holmes' expression had suddenly changed. He stood up.

"I have it. No need for any soul-selling. Stay here, Watson, and if you die I'll _kill _you." He ran from the room.

* * *

The Doctor and Martha waited on the stairs, not talking, when suddenly the door behind them burst open. Holmes jumped right over them and raced down the stairs, and the Doctor instantly ran after him.

"Where are you going?" he yelled.

Martha hurried into the bedroom.

Holmes flung the front door open, ran the short distance to the TARDIS, went through the door and disappeared beneath the console for a few seconds. He stood up, and pushed past the Doctor on his way out.

"Holmes," the Doctor said, "what are you _doing_? Listen to me-"

But he didn't stop to listen, just ran back into the house. He went up the stairs and into the bedroom, shooed Martha away from the bed, and held up the TARDIS cell he'd grabbed.

"Ten years!" he yelled, and blew on it.


	7. Magic

**No Matter**

The TARDIS cell glowed green.

"Watson," Holmes said, "take it."

Watson reached out, took the cell, and his eyes closed.

"He's dead," Martha said, slightly hysterically.

"He's not," Holmes said.

Watson opened his eyes and looked around at them. "Holmes," he said weakly. "Hello again, my friend. What was that? What did you do? I'm..."

"Alive," the Doctor finished, standing in the doorway.

"Alive," Martha said in wonderment.

Holmes held up the TARDIS cell. It was no longer glowing. "They give you what you want," he said. "That's what you said, Doctor."

"Yes," the Doctor repeated slowly. "I did. Probably pointless asking how you remembered or how you knew. You also know that's ten years of your life gone, right?"

"Quite acceptable."

Watson slowly stood up. "Holmes, I-"

"Think nothing of it, my friend."

"I shall never be able to thank you enough. What you just did, Holmes, what you did for me-"

"I would do again. Right!" He turned to the Doctor. "You are a careless and reckless and dangerous visitor. But you're the only one who can stop this. So sit- _sit_! -and we will talk."

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"What exactly did he do, Doctor?" Martha asked. "How did that happen?"

"He called the nanogenes out of Watson and into that cell," the Doctor said. "He caught them. They're imprisoned."

"And you may keep them, Doctor," Holmes said, handing the glowing object over. "There is no way, I take it, to save the three who died?"

"No," the Doctor said sadly.

"And have you given any more thought as to how these things escaped?"

"Well..."

"You said you were careless. But looking at you now I think there is another explanation."

The Doctor sighed and looked at Martha. A very long and very guilty look. Martha realised how many times she had seen that look, and felt a small sting of...something. Anger, maybe. _Something_.

"I would have told you eventually," the Doctor said. "The Family. You never asked what happened to them."

"I thought they died."

"No. They didn't."

"Right. What happened to them then?"

"All they wanted was immortality," the Doctor said. "I was angry. I gave it to them. The mother in a collapsing galaxy, the father in unbreakable chains, the son suspended in time and the girl...in a mirror. In every mirror."

"You mean..."

"They stayed alive. They'll stay alive forever. That's what I did to them. That, Martha Jones, is what I can do. I take lives, innocent or guilty, and I ruin them."

Martha slowly arranged and rearranged her thoughts. The Doctor looked at her like he was _daring _her, daring her to stop liking him and go home and get on with life and be a ordinary person again. She found herself thinking of Rose, and whether the Doctor had ever wanted her out of the way, a normal person, _safe _and no friend of any monster. She wondered, and then she said:

"They deserved it. Sort of."

"You don't mean that,"

"Well, no, I don't. But it doesn't make you _evil_."

"Oh no, Martha, we know I'm not evil. But I can be very, very human."

There was silence in the room.

"I assume," Holmes said, "that one of these creatures escaped. And I assume it was, or took the form of, a little girl."

"They weren't creatures. They were highly intelligent. And yes, it was the girl who escaped. Daughter of Mine, they called her. I stood next to her and I locked her in a forcefield and I cast her into all the mirrors in the world. But in one split second she must have connected her mind to the nanogenes, reprogrammed them to free her when the TARDIS landed and then cause chaos in the world it landed in. Leave her free again to run about in the world, like that little girl whose body she stole did. Why don't I get you some tea, Dr Watson?"

"Oh," Watson looked surprised. "Thank you, Doctor, if it's not too much trouble."

The Doctor took a mug from the table and a teabag from his pocket, filled the mug with water from a jug and held the sonic screwdriver to it. While it boiled he said, "I'm sorry. I really am."

"We are aware of that, Doctor," Holmes said testily. "How do we capture the _creature_?"

"Well, it won't be easy," the Doctor said. "I'll do it."

"What will you do to her?" Martha asked. "I mean, it?"

"Put her back in the mirror."

"Right."

"Holmes, Watson, you two are staying here."

"I will hear nothing of the sort," Watson spoke up.

"And I intend to see this thing through to the very end." Holmes said cooly.

The Doctor sighed. "Okay."

Watson sipped his tea and then stood up. "I will fetch my pistol."

"Maybe you ought to rest a while first." Martha said.

"There will be time for that later, dear girl."

The four of them stood there, uncertain of exactly what to do.

"Let's find her." the Doctor said.

The tea was left untouched on the table.


	8. King Of The Universe

**No Matter**

"You know," Martha said to the Doctor, "you're not really acting like yourself today."

"Martha, I don't actually _have _a 'today' as such."

Martha sighed and turned instead to her new friends. "You two both carry guns, right?"

"Yes. And there's one here for you, Doctor," Watson said.

"Not for me," the Doctor answered. "Never guns for me."

"But we ought to go armed."

"I've got the sonic screwdriver."

"I don't know if it's really a great idea to take guns, though" Martha said. "I know she's not a little girl, but she _looks _just like one, and...you know. Trouble. Executions. That kind of thing."

"We aren't going to shoot her," the Doctor said, but he seemed incredibly uncertain about something. "We'll just put her back where she belongs."

There was silence in the room apart from the sound of two guns being loaded.

"She'll live forever," Martha said. "Imprisoned."

"She's not a little girl, Martha, she's a creature of great power."

"You said she wasn't a creature. And you did...what you did...to her and her family because you were angry. You can't still be angry. Not like that. Not oncoming-storm-king-of-the-universe angry."

The Doctor's eyes were far away.

"Living forever, it's just...it's horrible, when you think about it. You'll live a while, I know, but you're not immortal, you can't _really _guess at what it is..."

"You know," the Doctor said, "there's someone I must introduce you to at some point."

Martha filed this away for later. "You're going to imprison her again, then. Forever and ever and ever."

The Doctor looked at her, and Martha couldn't help but wonder what he was really seeing.

"No," he said. "I won't. We'll capture her and take her to the Judoon. The Family are wanted throughout the universe. She'll be locked away until she dies naturally. She'll kill no-one ever again."

"Well," Martha said, "...good."

Holmes, who had been quiet for the past few minutes, spoke up. "Doctor."

"Yes?"

"This being can't be allowed to escape again. I really do suggest you take a pistol."

The two men locked eyes for a minute, but neither of them said anything else to each other.

* * *

They wandered down the street. It was early morning, and no-one was about. The four of them stopped outside the TARDIS.

"Wait here," the Doctor said. "I need to get something."

They waited.

"Watson," Martha said.

"Martha," Watson said, smiling, "I permit you to call me John."

"Okay, John?"

"Yes?"

"I reckon it was you who made me want to be a doctor. I mean, it wasn't all you, it was a lot to do with my mum. But I read so many books when I was younger, about people who did so many amazing things...but when it came down to it I just wanted to heal people."

"Oh, Martha. I'm honoured, I truly am."

Holmes watched them idly.

"But this sounds an awful lot like farewell talk."

"Oh...oh, none of us will die, we'll be fine," Martha said, almost believing it. "But me and the Doctor will leave eventually. I don't belong here. I belong back in the twenty-first century, with my family."

"Oh yes," Watson said, sounding quite disappointed, "of course."

The Doctor came barging out of the TARDIS.

"This," he announced, "is a portable force-field machine. We find her, trap her, and take her away!"

"I take it she's not killing any more people in the meantime." Holmes said.

"No. Now that the nanogenes are gone I don't think she has the power."

"You're sure?" Martha asked.

"No more than any other human."

"Okay."

They stood and looked at each other.

"As soon as this is done," the Doctor said, "we'll be on our way."

"Of course," Watson murmured.

They turned their attention to the streets.

"Okay," the Doctor said, "let's get this over with."

He pushed a button on the machine. Nothing happened.

"This way," he announced, and started walking.

"How can you tell?" Martha asked.

"Low-level telepathy."

"Oh, right."

The sun was steadily rising to the sky. Holmes and Watson drew their pistols.

"She's near," the Doctor said. "Put the guns down."

"I think not, Doctor," Holmes said.

Nothing happened.

"You know..." Martha found herself saying, "I really didn't think the two of you would get along so badly."

From around a corner a girl walked out. No balloon. Small, blonde, walking towards them.

"Well," the Doctor said, "here you are."

"Hello," the girl said, "Doctor of mine."


	9. Look In The Mirror

"Hello," the Doctor said. And then he said, "Lucy."

"Lucy's not in here," the girl said. "If she was, she'd be _very angry _with you."

"Fair point," the Doctor said. "I've taken the nanogenes away from you. You can't cause any more problems here. I'm sorry for what I did, but you killed a lot of people. I'm taking you to the Judoon."

The girl smiled.

"_Sorry_," she said. "How can you be sorry when my mother and father and brother lie in agony trapped in time?"

"I'll free them," the Doctor said, pained.

She laughed. "I saw so much in the TARDIS, Doctor of mine. You looked into the mirror and forgot that _I _could look into _you._ There's been a girl. Some little human, some _Rose_. She's here."

"She's not," the Doctor said.

"You lost your humanity, and lost your love. But she's still here, in this world, not very far off in the future. All you have to do is step into the TARDIS and it'll take you there. Step into your time machine, go to Rose's world. _Be with her_."

There was a long silence, but then, finally, the Doctor said something that made Martha's heart sing.

"No."

"_No_?" the girl snarled.

"Those times are over," the Doctor said quietly. "A human might say yes. But _I'm not human_."

And the girl retreated, her last card played.

"All of them will leave you, Doctor!" she hissed. "You may save so many worlds, so many people, but _anyone you ever care for_ will one day leave you!." She whirled around to face Holmes and Watson. "And you two! _Far too human_, how many have you killed?" A slow and nasty grin came over her face. "The great Sherlock Holmes. So clever, but only one person in the entire world ever liked you!"

"Well," said Holmes, "that's enough."

In what seemed like desperation, the girl turned to Martha.

"You're in love with the Doctor, and he'll never ever have you! You travel with him, and you won't be what you were for very long! He's great and terrible and _awful!_"

"Well, there's always going to be someone who likes you," Martha said steadily, "no matter how awful you are."

She snatched the portable force-field machine from the Doctor and hit a big red button.

Daughter of Mine crumbled to the floor, captured in a bubble. She looked up at Martha Jones and Martha felt herself shiver.

Just a bit.

"Yeah," she said to the girl, "you lost. We're taking you to the Judoon."

The girl looked towards the Doctor.

"He _always _succeeds," she said, sneering, "that Master of mine."

"Don't call me _master_," the Doctor said.

Only Holmes heard the girl whisper, "I didn't."

* * *

Holmes and Watson stood with the Doctor and Martha beside the TARDIS.

"I'm sorry for everything," the Doctor said. "All the trouble I've caused. I have a lot of work now, I've got to free the rest of the Family."

Martha nodded.

"I'm not sorry to have met you, Doctor," Holmes said. "It's been an experience that will never be matched, so I thank you. But I imagine I shan't see you again."

"No," the Doctor said, "you probably won't."

Holmes nodded.

"I am a great deal like you," he said eventually, "but Doctor, I don't want to be, and yet I do. To save worlds! It is unfathomable."

"You'll work it out," the Doctor said. "Especially with Watson by your side."

Watson just smiled, sincerely, and then he turned to Martha.

"Martha Jones, I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you," Martha said. "John."

The two of them looked at each other.

"It's been great," Martha said. "Really it has." She crushed him in a hug and then let him go.

Holmes put his hand on Watson's shoulder, and said, "Well, Doctor, Martha, goodbye."

"Goodbye," the Doctor said.

They both turned to go, but then Holmes turned back and said, "Doctor. Be careful in your travels. That girl, that being, she had a grave warning in her voice."

"I'll be careful," the Doctor said. He smiled ruefully. "I always am."

Holmes and Watson walked away. Holmes still had his hand on his friend's shoulder. They rounded the corner and then they were gone.

Martha and the Doctor watched them go.

"You know, I sometimes wonder," Martha said quietly. "Were they...I mean, did they..."

"What?" the Doctor said. Then he realised. "Oh. Who knows? John Watson had at least two wives, after all. But...I don't know. And it's no matter, anyway."

Martha nodded.

"Let's go," the Doctor said. He opened the TARDIS door and let her go in before him. Then he said. "Where to, Martha Jones?"

Martha looked at him for a long time. The Doctor looked back.

"New York, for a bit of shopping," she said finally.

"A capital idea, Miss Jones, and I will join you."

He pushed down the TARDIS lever, and they left that world.


End file.
